Southwest N.D. mule deer hunting

I've been digging around on the internet looking at mule deer hunts and read a few articles on hunting them in southwest N.D. Have any of you guys hunted mule deer there? I'm looking at a couple of different ranches and they seem to be reasonably priced. I might try to go DIY if I can gather up all the info I need and find some good land open to hunting.


dodgeman_29

dodge,
 I'm sure that "O" could help you out here. He is an 'ol NoDak man. Send him a pm.

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

I'm going to keep asking around about different hunts in all the western states. I want to experience it all man- family, money and time permitting of course. LOL

Me too, that's why I got my dad and wife into bowhunting. LOL Best of both worlds, whatcha think?

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

SW Nodak?

Yeah ... I've been huntin' there for most of the last 32 years ... Prairie Goats, Muleys, Whitetail, grouse, a fessunt or three ... but I've missed a year here and there, with various excuses/reasons/rationales to keep me outta the area ...

I know a rancher down there who would be HAPPY to have more hunters come in to shoot does for him ... he also has several neighbors with the same attitude ... I try to get out to his ranch every year, merely to help him out ... and pick up the occasional "extra" deer, of course ...

That's a bit out of the area I've usually hunted (different unit, but the unit designation dealie applies ONLY to rifle season, bow season is basically statewide ... with the exception of NRs who need to get a "special" license (OTC @ G&F, they usually sell out in March) to shoot Muley bucks in the general SW part ... tho I almost hit a muley forkhorn (with the company pickup) on the way to werk today, and that one would be yours for the taking, even a NR, with a bow tag ... IF ... the land is open to access ...

That's the main problem around here ... about 95 percent posted (tho lots of public also available, but it gets hunted a LOT ...) ...

Out west (about a 2.5 hour drive for me) I've got enuf ranchers I've gotten to know, so it's usually only a formality of talkin' to 'em every fall, to be sure it's still OK to go on their land ... ALSO ... a LOT of public land (Little Missouri National Grasslands, mainly, with a bunch of other stuff tossed in ... some PLOTS, some School Land, some Forest Service, some BLM ...

For a DIY, pre-scouting would be a big help (DUH!), but there are plenty of places where a bow hunter can walk in and get sorta majorly losticated, and the rough country is supposedly where the Big Ones are ... all open to access, no vehicles ...

If one wants to bring home more than one deer (two? six? nine?) one merely hasta wait for the last round of draws for the Rifle licenses, and then the NRs can pick up as many tags as they want for a discounted price ($55 each) ... these "second/third/fourth/etc. concurrent season" licenses are good for ANY SEASON, but they're limited to the unit described on the rifle format ... all doe tags, so ... bag some does, wait for a nice rack, go home, come back again a month later ...

The bow season runs from late August or early Sept. thru the first part of January ...

There's also fessunts, grouse, ducks, geese and many other species that have seasons matching up with possible visits here ...

For a DIY, some basic research would get y'all started ... and I could offer some suggestions on that front ...

Or ... y'all could "connect" with my overall schedule, and I could show you around ...

Or ... the "outfitter" deal ... unfortunately, I have sparse knowledge of this plan, mostly becuz the greatest majority of all hunting in Nodak is DIY ... folks go where they've always gone, or "discover" new areas with the help of friends, kinfolk, co-workers, in-Laws, or merely by pullin' up stakes from their prior preferred territory, and goin' out and learnin' it all over again ... so, I wouldn't really be able to offer informed commentary on the outfitters who provide various degrees of service ... I may know some of 'em, but I don't know how they treat their clients, or how satisfied the clients may be, at the end of the hunt ... I could offer some "gossip" type anectodal info on one or two outfitter groups, mostly negative, but that's all strictly gossip, so I wouldn't be comfortable sayin' much about 'em, either way ...

I know a couple of ranchers who do allow access (or they used to, anyway ... haven't talked to 'em for a few years) and one does not "charge" but will "accept any token of appreciation offered" ... this has included sides of pork, buckets of potatoes, gift certificates ... the other one tends to charge for the access, but is amenable to "gifting" at times ... they both live in pr

All of life is six-to-five against, just enough to keep you interested. (Damon Runyan)

Gravity makes all the important decisions ... (John R. Powers)

NRA, REMF, PF, NAHC-L, NAFC-L, KC, NPPA

I knew good 'ol "O" could get him pointed in the right direction. "O" you da man!!!!!!!!!

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

Merely tryin' to help ...

A clarification is in order, tho ...

The "first" license a NR buys will be $215 ... $2 for the certificate, $13 for the habitat stamp (or whutever it's called), and $200 for the tag ... same deal whether deer (rifle), deer (bow) or pronghorn (bow) ...

I dunno about whether the "discount" price of $55 kicks in after purchase of a "first" one, or if ... when a hunter is patient enuf to wait for the end of the rifle drawings ... he/she can get a "first" one for the mere $55 ... of course, those leftover tags are all for does, so if a person wants to tag a buck, purchase of the $200 version is necessary ...

If/when a hunter wants another tag (rifle, or bow for either goat or deer), the $15 is already taken care of, so the price of other tags would be "only" $200 each ...

The rifle season is a weighted lottery draw, when you don't get your first choice of tag (buck or doe, Muley or Whitetail), you get a point ... after the third or fourth year, the number of times you name goes into the basket is squared ... so, fourth year (if that's when it starts) you'd have 16 chances ... fifth year, 25 chances ... and so on ...

Points carry over one year even if you don't apply (I'm fairly sure of this, but not positive), but once you draw your first choice, all points go back to zero ... but if you miss a second year without applying, you lose all points ...

No "purchase" of PPs ... continued application is the only way to gain points ...

If you miss, but get your second choice, you still get the point(s) ... it's based on an unsuccessful draw of the first-choice only ...

NR (rifle season) licenses are limited to one percent (two percent? I fergit) of the tags for a given unit (from last year's numbers) ... so ... that means that NRs have about 1,500 (or 3,000?) licenses available, statewide, or in a couple of units I'm familiar with, about 55 (or 110?) tags for does and 25 (or 50?) tags for bucks (that's a Whitetail unit) ... another unit would have about three muley buck tags, five or six muley doe tags, and sumwhut similar numbers for whitetails in that same unit ...

As y'all can see, it's a bit iffy for a NR to draw the deer/unit they want ...

Bow tags for deer are unlimited, but in the SW area units where muleys are most often found, a special "any deer" tag must be purchased from the G&F ... the number of these is limited to a percentage from last year's muley rifle tag numbers ... so, to shoot a muley buck in those units, y'all should try to buy the tag before March, for the season that opens in September ... OR ... that same license could be used for a Whitetail Buck, if that's whut crosses your path ... or does, of course ...

The archery season is "any deer, anywhere" ... with the exception on muley bucks noted above ...

Goats are perty much the same, as far as I can recall ... any goat, in any open unit ...

Success rates ... um ...

Rifle ... hovers around 65-75 percent, overall ... HOWEVER, one should remember that a lot of us get two (or more) extra tags (for more meat), and often don't fill some of those ... so, I'm gonna suggest that the success ratio is higher, if one considers "one hunter, one deer" as a successful season ... merely offerin' a perspective on this idea ...

Bow ... I dunno ... seems as if it's around 30-40 percent, but don't take that to the bank ... I could look it up, if I could find the magazine ... (duh!)

Muzzleloader is "resident only" ... but ... during the rifle season, a person may use "any legal weapon" ... which includes bow, muzzleloader, handgun or rifle ... so, that's how that werks, if it matters ... if a NR wanted to use a smokepole to shoot a deer in Nodak, that'd be OK if the rifle tag wuz used, during the rifle season ... same with bow ... y'all don't hafta bring a firearm (or even buy one here) ... bring your bow, use it for your rifle tag in the rifle season, and use your bow

All of life is six-to-five against, just enough to keep you interested. (Damon Runyan)

Gravity makes all the important decisions ... (John R. Powers)

NRA, REMF, PF, NAHC-L, NAFC-L, KC, NPPA

Big help O. Thanks for the info.

dodgeman_29

O you really go that extra mile for someone. If I ever need help in that area I'll look you up. lol

'Twern't much, car ... I do that mostly frum memory ... pick up bits of info in lotsa places, over the years ... and the essential data sticks in my mind ...

Plus ... writin' out sumthin' like that is a way of unwindin' after a day @ werk ...

Now ... if I could only remember where I put my keys ...

All of life is six-to-five against, just enough to keep you interested. (Damon Runyan)

Gravity makes all the important decisions ... (John R. Powers)

NRA, REMF, PF, NAHC-L, NAFC-L, KC, NPPA

OK ... so, now that there's 100+ pounds of muley venison in the freezer, and the bleedin' has stopped ... (the bandage on my finger makes typin' difficult ... pardon any typos, please)

My Bride din't feel too good on Sat. a.m. so I drove out alone (in my "NEW" car, since the Bronco is still on the fritz) ...

Normal routine on this sort of plan is to drive to a specific road that leads to my usual huntin' grounds (which includes large tracts of public land, and adjacent areas owned by the Three Bobs who ranch out there) and to arrive there by first shootin' light ...

Got started an hour late, and in all the chaos of chasin' around in a borrowed pickup last weekend, plus havin' unloaded the Bronco while it's @ the shop, I din't have any tarps or bungee cords along (had 10 items of ordnance, but that's typical for me), so I stopped @ Waldo's and it wuz legal light while I wuz still 40 minutes away from my unit ...

Not a crisis ... merely a disappointment ... so ... cruisin' down the road, and see two does in the ditch havin' breakfast ... worng side of US 85, worng unit ... a few miles later, there's a small 3x3 on the same (worng) side, but he's walkin' west ... so, I get into the cutbank area in about a half-mile, and I pull over and stop ... figger it's time to stick my licenses to my certificate and validate (sign) 'em ... he crosses the road behind me, I take a quick look thru the rifle 'scope (binocs and rangefinder still in the case), OK ... he's adequate ...

HOWEVER, he bounces across the fence, and it's posted there ... I'm still gettin' all the harness on and such, and two pickups pull up ... locals, they're gonna go look for him ... BUT ... the guy knows of a fork-horn lyin' down near ( ... "about 20 feet!" he sez) the road, and he'll show me where when they get back ...

No luck, they never saw the 3x3, and he sez "follow me" ... I do ...

Now, the car ('87 Cavalier Station Wagon, runs great, but NOT designed for some of the prairie trails in any state) can prolly handle this section line, and I proceed, slowly ... knockin' the frost off the grass (also, they'd had nearly an inch of new snow overnite, we din't have any, back home), and THERE HE IS!!!

I can't figger out why he's not movin' out by now ... but (now that I'm "ready" with weapons in close reach) I stop, and take a look ... OK, I'll be satisfied with him, if it's a clean shot (at 52 yards, NOT "20 feet") even I should be able to manage some degree of accuracy ...

Nope, NOT gonna shoot out the window of the car ... not proper etiquette, besides bein' illegal ... so, I get out ... and he does NOT MOVE! Merely keeps watchin' me ... couple of steps, and bring up the rifle ... BLAM! ... he STILL does not move!

Turns out I shot sorta low on the first one, crippled him ... tinked the front of BOTH back feet, just in front of the dewclaws (HEY, he wuz lyin' down, so his back toes were right under the heart!) ... now, he stands up, and it's a broadside shot ...

OK ... drive back to the road (no gate in the fence) and check AGAIN for posting signs (none) and drive up thru the bumpy CRP ... dressin' him out, and I happen to look up, and there's a rancher haulin' bales stopped on the trail, and gettin' out of his tonner ...

Uh-oh ... did I miss some important info?

"Well you got one!" he shouts, with a big grin on his face. (Whew!)

Chat a few minutes, and somehow he learns I've still got a doe tag ...

"Well, when you finish, come down to the ranch ... there's a bunch of 'em south of the yard, and I'll show you how to get close ... " he adds that they "fed" about 200 Muleys on the east side of the road -- the deer muched their alfalfa all winter -- and about 200 whitetails on the west side of the road ... so I should kill a bunch ...

OK ... so, I do ... we stop and glass 'em, about 3/4 mile away ... all in "resting" mode ... he sez, " ... follow me, and I'll show you the gate and the best

All of life is six-to-five against, just enough to keep you interested. (Damon Runyan)

Gravity makes all the important decisions ... (John R. Powers)

NRA, REMF, PF, NAHC-L, NAFC-L, KC, NPPA

Dang "O"  you got a passle of meat for the freezer.  Congrats!!!  Nummy sausage for the breakfast table!

Love playing that string music and sending a Muzzy flying!

Yup.

And, we could get two more this weekend ... if all goes as well as last Saturday ...

Gonna claim Mulligans on that story, the part about shootin' him in the feet ...

He wuz lyin' down in medium-to-short grass, and I wuz tryin' to NOT shoot him thru the backstrap, and I couldn't really see where his belly line wuz, and I'm not used to those 50-yard shots ... more like 150-250+ usually ... and ... is that enuf excuses?

He's decent, it wuz clean (except for stubbin' his toes) and he's in the freezer ... I'm happy ...

Altho ... I sure would've liked to have had the tag back, when I saw that 4x4 ... but ... if I hadn't taken the little rack, I never would have met the rancher ... so ... My Bride will hafta bring the larger one home ...

All of life is six-to-five against, just enough to keep you interested. (Damon Runyan)

Gravity makes all the important decisions ... (John R. Powers)

NRA, REMF, PF, NAHC-L, NAFC-L, KC, NPPA

Saw another "nice" buck today ... came off of mine land and onto posted ... besides which, the only LEGAL hunter who can try to get him hasta use archery gear ... mzl season is whitetail only ... frum the brief glimpse I got (@ about 100 yards, before they went over the hill) I'd say he's about like that one we saw the last couple of weekends of the rifle season ... mebbe about 25" or so, looked to be a bit more beamy and tall ... nuthin' like that Montana bruiser, of course, but a really decent deer ... if life ever slows down, might hafta see if I can stand the cold and go look for him on the WMA ...

All of life is six-to-five against, just enough to keep you interested. (Damon Runyan)

Gravity makes all the important decisions ... (John R. Powers)

NRA, REMF, PF, NAHC-L, NAFC-L, KC, NPPA

Go get him "O".  Get-er-done for the rest of us. Good luck..............

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member